Veronica plant named ‘Perfectly Picasso’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spike speedwell plant, Veronica spicata ‘Perfectly Picasso’, with upright habit, stiff upright to slightly-curved, freely-branched spikes producing steadfast medium-pink flowers from buds that begin near white buds and become medium pink, over a long period beginning early summer and deadheading may encourage possible repeat in early fall.

Botanical classification: Veronica spicata L.

Variety denomination: ‘Perfectly Picasso’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of spikespeedwell, botanically known as Veronica spicata ‘Perfectly Picasso’,and hereinafter referred to as the cultivar ‘Perfectly Picasso’ or the“new plant”. The new plant was hybridized in the summer of 2012 by theinventor in the hybridizing greenhouses of a wholesale perennial nurseryin Zeeland, Mich., USA, with the unreleased proprietary hybrid knownonly as 08-64-01B as the female parent and Veronica ‘Red Fox’ (notpatented) as the male parent.

The new plant has been asexually propagated by shoot tip cuttings at thesame nursery in the greenhouses in Zeeland, Mich., since the summer of2014 with subsequent asexually propagated plants found to be identicalto the original selection with all the same traits as the originalseedling.

No plants of Veronica ‘Perfectly Picasso’ have been sold or disclosed bythis or any other name, in this country or anywhere in the world, priorto one year from the filing of this application, with the exception ofthat was sold or disclosed within one year of the filing of thisapplication and which was either derived directly or indirectly from theinventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Veronica spicata ‘Perfectly Picasso’ is unique from all other spikespeedwell known to the inventor. Several other cultivars may have somesimilar traits, but this is the only variety known by the inventor tohave the following characteristic combinations that establish the newplant as unique:

-   -   1. Upright habit with stiff, tall, upright to slightly-curved        spikes above dense mats of medium green foliage.    -   2. Scapes with numerous flowers of distinctly steadfast        medium-pink petals.    -   3. Young flower buds change from near white to medium pink        before opening.    -   4. Freely-branched peduncles with long blooming season.

The closest comparison varieties are ‘Tickled Pink’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.16,182, ‘Pink Bomb’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,756, ‘Pink Explosion’ U.S.Plant Pat. No. 22,592, ‘Atomic Silvery Pink Ray’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.23,938, ‘Sweet Lullaby’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,611, ‘Pink Eveline’ U.S.Plant Pat. No. 18,743, ‘Pink Panther’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,311, ‘PinkPotion’ U.S. Plant patent application. Ser. No. 15/330,912 and Veronica‘Red Fox’ (not patented). The flowers of ‘Tickled Pink’ are a lighterpink, more bubblegum pink than the medium pink of the new plant, and thehabit of the new plant is taller and less spreading. Compared with ‘PinkBomb’ the new plant is slightly taller and the flower color is deeperpink. Compared with ‘Pink Explosion’ the new plant is taller and deeperpink in flower color. The new plant is taller and deeper pink than ‘PinkExplosion’, ‘Atomic Silvery Pink Ray’, ‘Sweet Lullaby’ and ‘PinkEveline’. Compared with ‘Pink Panther’ the new plant is taller, moreupright and the flower color is slight deeper pink. Compared with ‘PinkPotion’ the new plant is slightly taller and less rounded in habit andthe flower color has slightly less violet hue and more reddish hue.Compared with the female parent the new plant is slightly more compactand the flowers are medium pink rather than lavender purple. Comparedwith the male parent ‘Red Fox’ the new plant is taller, more upright andthe flowers are more medium pink rather than fuchsia pink.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance andunique traits of ‘Perfectly Picasso’ as a two-year-old plant grown in afull-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient lightspectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the plant in full flower.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references of Veronica ‘PerfectlyPicasso’ are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used.Veronica ‘Perfectly Picasso’ has not been observed under all possibleenvironments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growingenvironments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moistureand maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. Thefollowing observations and size descriptions are based on plants in atwo-year-old plant grown in a full-sun trial garden of a nursery inZeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Veronica spicata;-   Parentage: Proprietary breeder known as 08-64-01B as the female    (seed parent); ‘Red Fox’ as the male (pollen parent);-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, compact, with average 45    stems, main stems to about 65 cm tall and clumping to about 48 cm    wide; flowering beginning late June in Michigan and continuing for    about 6 weeks with occasional repeat if deadheaded; Leaves: simple,    flat, elliptic to lanceolate, opposite, serrated with about four to    five teeth per centimeter; puberulent abaxial and glabrate to    glabrous adaxial; acute apex; distal leaves with attenuate base and    proximal leaves with rounded base; about 9.0 cm long by 3.1 cm wide,    average about 6.0 cm long and 1.6 cm wide, decreasing in both length    and width distally;-   Leaf color: Mature adaxial nearest RHS 137A and abaxial nearest RHS    137C; young expanding leaves nearest RHS 144A above and below;-   Veins: Reticulate, abaxial midrib costate; puberulent abaxial and    glabrate to glabrous adaxial;-   Vein color: Adaxial midrib nearest RHS 145A and lateral veins    nearest RHS 137A; abaxial midrib nearest RHS 145A and lateral veins    nearest RHS 138B;-   Petiole: Simple, puberulent abaxial and adaxial; to about 3.1 cm    long and 5.0 mm wide decreasing distally to an average about 3.0 mm    long and 4.0 mm wide;-   Petiole color: Adaxial nearest RHS 145A in center and RHS 137A on    margins; abaxial nearest RHS 145A in center and nearest RHS 137C on    margins;-   Stem: Terete; minutely pubescent to canescent; length about 25 cm    before flowers, diameter about 3.5 mm at base;-   Stem color: Nearest RHS 146C;-   Flower bud two days prior to opening: Convolute, narrowly oblong,    obtuse apex; about 5.0 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter;-   Flower bud color: One to two days prior to opening blend between RHS    73A and RHS 73B; one week prior to opening near white, lighter than    RHS N155B and much lighter than RHS 62D;-   Flowers: Zygomorpbic, campanulate; on heavily branched upright    spikes in compressed conglomerate; numerous, approximately 600 per    main spike; about 7.0 mm in diameter and about 9.0 mm deep, corolla    tube about 2.0 mm long and about 2.0 mm diameter, no detectible    fragrance; flowers persist individually for 4 to 6 days whether on    the plant or cut petals self-cleaning, sepals persistent;-   Flower timing: Early to mid-summer and continuing for about six    weeks;-   Flower fragrance: None detected;-   Petals: Four; one larger petal above and three slightly small below    and to either side; simple, entire, fused in basal 3.0 mm; each with    rounded apex; larger top petal about 6.0 mm long by 3.5 mm wide,    smaller side and lower petals about 6.0 mm long and 2.5 mm wide;    glabrous abaxial, glabrous adaxial except with 1.0 mm long hairs in    tufted band about 1.0 to 2.0 mm from base;-   Petal color: Abaxial and adaxial nearest RHS 67C with corolla tube    lightening to lighter than RHS 65D; adaxial tuft of hairs whiter    than RHS 155D;-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Two; divergent; glabrous; epipetalous about 1.0            mm from base; about 6.5 mm long by 0.25 mm; color nearest            RHS 73B.        -   Anther.—Dorsifixed, longitudinal; ellipsoid, with acute apex            and rounded base; about 2.0 mm by 1.0 mm; color nearest RHS            71A.        -   Pollen.—Abundant, globose, less than 0.1 mm; nearest RHS 4B.-   Gynoecium: One, superior; persists after petal drop;    -   -   Style.—Straight; attitude mostly outwardly; about 6.0 mm            long by 0.25 mm; color nearest RHS N81B.        -   Stigma.—Globose; about 0.3 mm in diameter; color RHS N81A.        -   Ovary.—Globose to ellipsoid; about 1.0 mm long and 0.8 mm            across; color nearest RHS 145B.-   Sepals: Four; lanceolate; adaxial dull, glabrous; abaxial    microscopically puberulent; acute apex, base fused forming    campanulate calyx, puberulent margin; about 4.0 mm long and 1.0 mm    wide;-   Sepal color: Abaxial and adaxial nearest RHS 138A;-   Peduncle: About 45 per plant; raceme, strong, virgate, freely    branched at nodes, terete: minutely pubescent to canescent;    flowering portion to about 40.0 cm long and about 2.5 cm across with    stem base diameter about 2.5 mm; averaging about 32.0 cm long and    2.5 mm base; freely branching at nearly every node; about 7 to 8    nodes before flowers; average internode length about 3.5 cm;-   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 146C;-   Pedicel: Rigid, about 0.5 mm long and 0.2 mm wide, finely pubescent;    attitude outwardly;-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 138A;-   Bract: One, subtending each flower, linear, acute apex, mostly    entire, sessile, based fused to peduncle, proximal bracts about 2.2    cm long and 4.0 mm wide and decreasing distally to about 4.0 mm long    and less than 1.0 mm wide;-   Bract color: Nearest RHS 138A both adaxial and abaxial;-   Fruit: Ellipsoid with rounded apex and base, about 3.1 mm long and    2.5 mm across; color between RHS 165A and RHS 165B;-   Propagation: The plant roots from cuttings in about 2 weeks and    finishes to flowering in a 3.8 liter container in 8 to 10 weeks    following a vernalization period of about 8 weeks;-   Hardiness, pest and disease resistance: The plant grows best with    plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate    some drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4    through 9. Disease and pest resistance beyond what is typical of    that of other spike speedwell has not been observed.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spike speedwellplant, Veronica spicata ‘Perfectly Picasso’, as herein described andillustrated.